I just stumbled on this video of a creative press conference held by a couple of MPs from the NDP (a Canadian political party) on asbestos, featuring puppets Mrs. O’Thelioma and Toxic Timmy. I think it’s about time that politics got a sense of humour, no?
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged asbestos, Canadian politics, NDP, NDP asbsetos, NDP press conference, NDP puppet show., Toxic Timmy
You’ve doubtless heard of the Sarah Palin inspired porno video, Nailin’ Palin’. But if that didn’t satisfy your lust for a total mysogenistic smackdown of Alaska’s own Caribou Barbie (or your lust for Palin herself), you can now bring home a “This is NOT Sarah Palin” blow-up sex doll. Suggested uses are, admittedly, hilarious:
“Blow her up and show her how you’re going to vote,”
“Let her pound your gavel over and over,”
“It’s time some male interns caused a scandal in the Capitol.”
What I want to know is when the Joe Biden sex doll is coming out…because he’s foxy in the interest of gender equality, of course.
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged Nailin' Palin, Sarah Palin, Sarah Palin blow-up doll, Sarah Palin porn
Today was American Buy Nothing Day (if you’re really enthusiastic, you can celebrate International Buy Nothing Day tomorrow too).
While I was reading the news on my lunch break today, I saw what must surely be a sign that consumerism has gone completely off the rails. A Wal-Mart employee was trampled to death in the US by a crowd of bargain-frenzied Black Friday shoppers:
The 34-year-old Wal-Mart worker was taken to hospital where he was pronounced dead at about 6 a.m., an hour after the store opened, when a throng of shoppers “physically broke down the doors, knocking him to the ground.”
A 28-year-old pregnant woman and three other shoppers suffered minor injuries and were also taken to hospitals for observation.
No crap at Wal-Mart is so exciting that you can justify trampling a person to death and knocking around a pregnant lady. OMGGG, a discount on a TV!! THRILLS!! Seriously, what is WRONG with people??!!
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged Adbusters, Black Friday, Buy Nothing Day, capitalism, consumerism, shopping, shopping kills
Now here’s a fashion trend to get behind: The 15 Below jacket is a low-cost solution to help the homeless survive the winter. The jacket has multiple pockets throughout the lining where newsprint, one of the most effective insulators, can be scrunched and stuffed into. When not being worn, the jacket can be folded into a backpack or used as a pillow. The Salvation Army will distribute 3000 of these coats (donated by Taxi) in four major cities across Canada.
There are an estimated 300,000 homeless people in Canada, and more than 80 people die each year from over-exposure to the cold.
On a personal note…my hometown had an “out of the cold warming room”, a big room in a church basement that was opened to the homeless on nights of extreme cold (-15°C or colder), to get them into a warm space so they wouldn’t freeze to death. In my last year of high school, I had expressed my desire to volunteer there and my mother, a social worker, had forbid it. She feared for my safety on the overnight shifts. But she was out of town on the night that I got called in…and she had left her car. 
At the shelter, I met the social service worker in the cold church basement, watched a short instructional video meant to sensitize me to homeless people and mental illness, and then sat down at a table to wait for the crowds. When people came in, we offered them a warm drink, some oatmeal, and blankets to sleep under on the hard floor. We passed the time shelling and eating pistachios. It was largely uneventful, and only a handful of people came to the shelter.
One of them though, I will never forget. A man came to the shelter, skinny and shivering, smelling strongly of liquor. He didn’t stay long, just long enough to warm up with a cup of coffee. As he stood in front of me and lifted his arm to drink, I saw that he had a colostomy bag. It was frozen.
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged 15 Below Project, homeless, homeless shelter, homelessness, jacket, poverty, social justice
Oh Woody…you had me at “I sometimes feel like an alien creature”…
I am currently working on a graduate paper and was indulging in one of my favourite procrastination methods, researching the writing process. Doing so, I stumbled on what looks to be a very useful find, an article written by Patricia M. Shields titled “Getting Organized: A Pragmatic Tool for Writing Graduate Papers.”
The article describes “the notebook method”, described as “a pragmatic tool of inquiry that transforms paper writing into project management.” It involves organizing your work into a binder that will enable you to work systematically to cover all your bases and reduces the ‘start time’ involved in sitting down to work. This apparently can help students to produce much better literature reviews and ease the process of organizing the paper and formulating a research question.
Sitting at my desk strewn with papers, books, and notes, getting better organized doesn’t seem like a half-bad idea. Although I tried to be a bit more organized this semester, I still haven’t got things systematized to this extent. I feel a bit too far along to implement the notebook method for my current paper, but I definitely want to try it when organizing my thesis next semester.
I love this picture.
To me, it captures that hopeful feeling that so many people (myself included) feel about the recent US election.
Superman is driven by a strong moral code (and apparently, a flair for colourful spandex), to uphold good in society and right wrongs. He’s a cultural icon in America.
Obama may not be able to fly (…or can he?) but this image draws the parallels between America’s first superhero, and the incredible hopes that we’ve pinned on Obama as the man to right so many wrongs and rebuild the American reputation. We need a hero. It’s a lot to heap on the shoulders of one person. But being hopeful is such a good feeling. I hope we can hold on to that for a while.
It is a cold, rainy Saturday. I am snuggled under a fleece blanket in my reading chair in the living room, trying to coax my brain to read an article about harm reduction.
My partner is in the shower, singing his heart out. His off-key falsetto makes my heart smile.
I give in and put the book down, relax into the big comfy chair, and listen to him warble, resisting the urge to shout out the harmonies and sing along.
